Maxon To Sponsor Half Rez Motion Design Conference

Premier Event Celebrates Motion Design Community with Evening of Learning, Networking and Sessions

We are pleased to return as a sponsor of Half Rez 2018, the premier Midwest annual conference dedicated to the craft of motion design. Half Rez will take place on September 12, 2018 at The Chop Shop in Chicago.

Chris Schmidt, Greyscalegorilla director of 3D product development and Half Rez co-founder, explains that Half Rez, heading into its seventh year, has become an essential motion graphics destination honoring the diverse community of motion graphics artists.

“Half Rez attracts 2D and 3D motion designers at all stages of their career with an evening dedicated to discovering new techniques and ideas and to network with fellow colleagues from around the globe in a fun and relaxed atmosphere,” says Schmidt. “Whether attendees are taking one of our studio tours, listening to a keynote or connecting at the bar, our aim is that they will come away feeling inspired and energized.”

This year’s Half Rez featured speakers are redefining the standards between motion graphics creativity and technology and include:

- Andrew Kramer, founder of Video Copilot, a collaborative resource for training, design tools, and artists, is known for his visionary VFX and title design work on many film and television projects such as Star Trek, Super 8, Fringe, and Almost Human.

- Bhakti Patel, is a 3D animator and motion designer recognized for her Emmy-nominated titles for Vinyl, main-on-end titles for Thor: Ragnarok, the Super Bowl 51 Halftime Show campaign, and UI design/animation for Black Panther.

- John Pobojewski, is a partner at Thirst focusing on intermedia and the blending of brand, interactive, sound, motion, and environments.

- Donnie Bauer, is a creative director at The Mill in Chicago working across projects for broadcast television, large-scale events, and concerts. Some of his recent collaborations include work for PlayStation, Reebok, Pitchfork Music Festivals, and designing for the CMA Music Awards in Nashville.

Since its inception in 2011, Half Rez has seen continued growth and will be held at the Chop Shop, a 6,000 square foot event space and concert venue, to accommodate this year’s record-growing audience. Conference organizers have arranged tours at three of Chicago’s top creative studios – The Mill, Flavor, and Framestore – allowing Half Rez attendees the opportunity to meet the artists behind the work.

Earlier this month, Maxon announced its professional 3D application, Cinema 4D Release 20 (R20), is now available. R20 offers high-end tools and features for VFX and motion graphics artists, including a major expansion of the MoGraph toolset, new volume-based modeling tools, simplified CAD files import and node-based material system.

“Maxon has been a valued Half Rez sponsor since our first event and their support remains vital to our success,” adds Schmidt. “Cinema 4D is the primary tool used not only by our guest speakers but our audience as well. The positive buzz around the latest release of Cinema 4D is already adding to the excitement of the event.”